Hello, and Welcome to another amazing chapter of Menma Rises! I know that It's been a while since I've updated this fic, sorry about that. As for the pairing, you will find out about that
Enjoy!
-DinglberrySauce
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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters. You should know that.
Chapter 3: Confrontation
The deserts of Kaze no Kuni were merciless. The unbearable heat would usually be too much for most shinobi. This, however, was not true for the two shinobi that could be seen steadily trekking through the fine sands. The two shinobi were both wearing black cloaks with red clouds, and masks. The figure on the left had an orange swirl mask along with spiky, black hair. The figure on the right had a white mask that resembled a fox, and was carrying a bundle on his shoulder. The two figures were two members of the Akatsuki, an organization made up of multiple S-rank nukenin. These two particular members were Tobi, and Naruto Uzumaki, who now goes by the name of Menma (A/N: We will still be referring him to Naruto, but the other characters don't need to know that. ;D). The bundle that was on Menma's shoulder was the Godaime Kazekage, Gaara. To the Akatsuki he was merely the Jinchuriki of the Ichibi.
The orange masked one stopped suddenly, getting a confused look from his partner.
"What is it, Tobi?" Naruto asked. Tobi looked Naruto in the eyes, and they both saw each other's sharingan glowing in the darkness of their masks.
"We need to talk." He said in a deep, menacing voice. Naruto's eyes widened. What's with this change? Tobi was usually a happy go-lucky annoyance that never ceased to get on his nerves.
'No matter, I will let him say what he needs to say.' Naruto thought. "Alright, follow me." He said as he disappeared in a vortex, with Tobi following suit.
=Kamui Dimension=
Naruto, and Tobi appeared in the cold, desolate dimension in a swirling distortion of space. Naruto dropped Gaara with a dull thud, and looked at Tobi in suspicion. "Speak."
At that moment, Tobi did something that the Black haired man didn't expect. He stuck out his hand in greeting. "Obito Uchiha. I'm sure that Madara said something about me." Naruto nodded, and took the other black-haired man's hand. "So he has."
Naruto reached for his mask with his free had, and took it off, revealing his angular face, darker whisker marks, and his sharingan blazing. "Naruto Uzumaki." He said, making Obito's only eye to widen. "How? You're supposed to be dead." The Uchiha asked. Naruto sighed, and scratched his head like a particular Nara. "Madara. He used the Rinne Tensei no Jutsu on me after Sasuke stabbed me in the chest with a Chidori." He said making Obito's shoulders tense at the mention of his former friends jutsu.
"What of the Kyuubi?" Obito asked, receiving a chuckle from the other black-haired man.
"That blasted fox is already in our hands."
=Unknown Location=
In the former hideout of Madara Uchiha, deep within its depths, was a large cage the size of the Hokage Mountain itself. Inside said cage, a monstrous fox exhaled a deep breath in its sleep, and mumbled sleepily: "...stupid ningen..."
=Kamui Dimension=
"You've already obtained the Kyuubi?" Obito asked, making Naruto nod. Said man put his mask back on. "Myself along with Madara managed to get Kyuubi under control, and put him in a cage that Madara made in the first year that I was there."
"Very well. Come, we can't keep 'Pein-sama' waiting." Obito said, as he disappeared in a vortex. Naruto looked back at the seemingly lifeless body of Gaara, and disappeared as well in a vortex. When he was gone, the Jinchuriki of the Ichibi opened his eyes, still unable to move his body. Unknown to the two black-haired nukenin, Gaara was concious for the conversation.
'Why, Uzumaki? Why would you go so low as to join the Akatsuki?' He thought as he lost conciousness once again.
=Akatsuki Hideout: River Country=
Naruto, and Obito arrived inside a large cave that had a boulder blocking off the entrance in a swirling distortion of space. Inside the cave was a large statue that had two hands sticking out. Not even a minute later, two holograms appeared int the cave. The first figure had spiky hair, and eerie purple eyes with a ripple pattern. The second figure was a woman with shoulder length hair, and an origami flower in her hair.
"You have retrieved the Jinchuriki, I presume." Pein offhandedly stated.
"Yes, it was quite easy if I do say so myself." Naruto answered calmly. A vortex appeared in one of Naruto's eyeholes, and Gaara fell to the ground with a lifeless thud once again. At that moment, six holograms appeared on a finger fo the statue.
The first one was of medium height, and had their hair tied up into a ponytail; Deidara. He is a nukenin from Iwagakure, wielder of the Bakuton.
The second was hunched over, and had a metal tail protruding from his back; Sasori of the Red Sand. He is a nukenin from Sunagakure, and puppet master, knowing poisons that even the Godaime Hokage Tsunade would have trouble with.
The next figure was tall, and had slicked back hair with a three bladed scythe on his back; Hidan. Hidan is a nukenin from Yugakure. He is a man who worships Jashin, and the ability to be immortal because of his worship. If Hidan's scythe takes even a drop of blood from his opponent, any injury that Hidan receives, his opponent will receive the same wound.
The fourth person was tall as well, no real noticable features could be seen other than his red, and green eyes; Kakuzu. Kakuzu is from Takigakure, and is as old as the Shodaime Hokage, having fought the man himself. Kakuzu has an the ability to repair himself with some sort of black string, mainly because he was made out the stuff. He also has multiple hearts that he has stolen from other people.
The fifth figure was also tall,and had spiked hair with a large bandaged sword on his back; The Tailless Bijuu, Kisame Hoshigake. Kisame is a nukenin from Kirigakure, and was formerly one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. His living sword, Samehada, has the ability to eat chakra, and shred his opponent to ribbons rather than slice them up like a normal blade.
The Final person had black hair, and the blood-red eyes of the Uchiha Clan; this man was Itachi Uchiha. Itachi is a nukenin from Konohagakure, and formerly ANBU Captain after Kakashi Hatake retired from the corps. Itachi wields the Mangekyou Sharingan, which has the ability to cast the flames of Amaterasu, as well as the strongest Genjutsu known to the Ningen Realm; Tsukuyomi.
"So...the newbies got the Ichibi, hm." Deidara said.
"Enough talking, and start the procedure." Ordered Pein. Naruto, and Tobi hopped up to their respective places on the statue, and formed the ram-seal.
The rest of the members put their hands in the same seal, and they all yelled out a phrase.
"Nine Phantom Dragons Sealing!" The statue's mouth opened, and nine dragons made out of chakra shot out at the Ichibi Jinchuriki. Gaara was lifted into the air, his face set into a silent scream as red chakra came out from his mouth and eyes. The sealing process has begun.
=Konoha=
Standing at the main gates of Konoha was Team Uchiha, as Sasuke was going over an equipment check.
"Kiba."
"100 Kunai, 100 Shuriken, 15 Soldier pills, 10 Explosive tags, 1 spool of wire, and the necessities."
"Alright. Shino."
"50 Kunai, 50 Shuriken, 15 Soldier pills, 10 Explosive tags, and necessities."
"Hinata."
"50 Kunai, 50 Shuriken, 50 Senbon, 10 Soldier pills, 10 Explosive tags, Medical Kit, and the necessities."
"Alright, Chokuto, 100 Kunai, 100 Shuriken, 100 Senbon, 10 Soldier pills, 15 Explosive tags, 2 Spools of wire, and necessities. Let's go, we should be at Suna in about two days." Sasuke said, as the former Team 8 nodded, and they all leaped into the trees.
=2 Days Later=
Naruto was sitting on a rock inside the cave where the successful sealing of the Ichibi from its Jinchuriki took place. He opened his eyes, and looked at Obito who was to his right, sitting on top of said Jinchuriki.
"It seems that we have a group of Konoha nin nearby. Why don't we have some fun?" Naruto said to the orange mask-wearing Uchiha. Said Uchiha nodded, and said: "Lets."
The two masked Akatsuki members disappeared in a vortex to face their prey.
=Outside=
Team Uchiha sat in the undergrowth outside of the Akatsuki's hideout, trying to find out a way to get inside. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and saw chakra surrounding the boulder that was covering the entrance of the cave. He looked towards the Hyuuga Heiress next to him, and spoke:
"Hinata, can you try and see what's behind that boulder." said Hyuuga nodded, and activated the Kekkei Genkai of her clan.
"I can, but it's difficult. I can see chakra signatures, most likely the Akatsuki. I can't see any signs of Kazeka-..." Hinata trailed off, and recieved odd looks from her teammates. "Hinata? What's wrong?" Kiba asked.
Hinata deactivated her Byakugan, and looked at the boulder in disbelief. "T-They're...gone." She said quietly. Sasuke rose an eyebrow. "What do you mean "gone"? Did they disappear?" The Hyuuga Heiress nodded. "Yes, they just...diappeared."
At that moment, the team of four heard a deep, menacing chuckle that sent chills down their spine. "So...Konoha has sent 'The Last Uchiha', the Hyuuga Heiress, a Dog, and a bugs nest to retrieve the Jinchuriki. Pitiful." Team Uchiha spun around to see a man with spiky black hair, a white fox mask, and the signature Akatsuki cloak that all members wore. Sasuke activated his Kekkei Genkai, and glared as menacingly as he could towards the strange man. "Akatsuki." He spat.
"No shit. Who else did you expect, the Easter Bunny?" The man said with a chuckle, making Sasuke glare at him harder. "Where is the Kazekage?" Sasuke asked with venom. "Dead." The man replied without a care in the world, making everyone's eyes go wide.
Naruto's gaze drifted over to Hinata, and his eyes softened under his mask. 'I'm sorry, Hinata' He thought. Ever since Naruto was found by Zetsu, and trained by Madara, he has had dreams about the Hyuuga's Princess. He was a fool when he was a shinobi of Konoha. He was too hung up on trying to get noticed by that pink haired bitch Sakura that he didn't even notice how much Hinata admired him, or even attempted to find out why she fainted every time he got too close. Now, if Hinata activated her Byakugan, she would most definitely unveil his identity.
Naruto then sensed chakra slowly being channeled to Hinata's eyes, and he smirked underneath his mask. "Deal with them, will you?" Naruto asked to seemingly nobody, until Obito appeared next to him. The one-eyed Uchiha did a mock salute, and practically yelled. "Sure thing partner!"
Naruto groaned inwardly, and appeared behind Hinata faster than anybody could see, even with Sasuke's Sharingan activated. He grabbed her shoulder, causing her to gasp, and they both were sucked into the vortex of space that is the Kamui technique.
=Kamui Dimension=
The two appeared in the desolate dimension just as Hinata activated her Byakugan. The Hyuuga Heiress spun around, and her eyes widened as she read the masked man's chakra signature. 'W-What? This can't be! His chakra...it's the same as Naruto-kun's!' She thought. After a few minutes of staring, she shook her head, and got into her clan's Taijutsu stance.
"Why have you brought me here?" She asked. The man sighed, and went to take off his mask. Hinata's eyes widened once again, as tears started welling up in her eyes. Hinata dropped her stance, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"N-N-Naruto-kun?" Naruto walked closer to the heiress until they were mere inches apart. Tears were now flowing freely down Hinata's delicate cheeks, and she threw herself at her longtime crush, sobbing. Naruto's eyes winded a little, then instantly softened as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry." Hinata's eyes widened, and she looked up at the handsome face of her crush, and saw as the red eyes of the Uchiha clan faded into the sapphire blue that she had come to love. His black hair changed to its normal golden blonde, and his whisker marks thinned to their normal size.
"I'm sorry for everything that I've done." He said quietly. Hinata smiled slightly. "You don't have to be sorry for anything. I'm just glad that you're alive." The now blonde haired man looked at the Hyuuga in confusion. "So you don't hate me?"
Hinata scowled, and Naruto closed his eyes. Surely she would be having second thoughts now. "Why would I do that?" Naruto looked at her, surprise etched on his face. "I joined the Akatsuki, killed the Kazekage, and faked my death."
"I don't care. If you're alive, then I'm happy. In fact, I've come to hate Konoha because they celebrated why you 'died'." Naruto's eyes widened once again when she said that.
"So you would leave the village, and join the Akatsuki?" Hinata nodded. "If it means that I could be with you I would gladly do it. Because I...love you." She said as she stared longingly into Naruto's endless shappire orbs. Naruto put his hand on Hinata's chin, and tiled her head as he locked his lips with hers in a searing kiss. Hinata was surprised at first, but soon succumbed to the wonderful sensation that she was feeling at the moment. After a few minutes, the two separated reluctantly, and they stared into each other's eyes once again. "I love you too, Hime."
Naruto said with a smile.
As he said this, his hair turned back to their jet black color, his whisker marks became more defined once again, and he channeled chakra into his eyes to activate his Sharingan. He put his mask on when Hinata asked: "What was that?"
Naruto chuckled. "It is a variation of the Henge that is actually permanent if the user chooses. It is similar to Tsunade's in a way. I can just think of what I want to change, and I channel chakra to that body part. That's all there is to it." He turned around, and prepared to leave when he said:
"We will leave now. I suggest that you take someone out so that my partner know that you're with us." He said as Hinata nodded. Naruto grabbed her arm, Hinata activated her Byakugan, and they disappeared in a vortex.
=Akatsuki hideout: River Country=
Sasuke was frustrated. No. He was livid. First, the white masked man sucked Hinata into some sort of vortex, and this other masked man is apparently untouchable. No matter what they tried, their attacks just went straight through the guy! This guy was just toying with them as well. I mean,
seriously? Whack-a-Mole no Jutsu? Frailed Lizard no Jutsu? This was a joke.
"Dammit!" Sasuke cursed under his breath as the man seemed to have gotten bored, and knocked Shino, and Kiba unconcious with merely a poke. "I'm bored. Let's just get this over with, you guys were no fun." The childish man said. He was going to do the same to Sasuke that he did to his other teammates, but was interrupted whe a vortex appeared next to the Last Uchiha.
"Hakke: Hyaku Nijuhachi Sho!" (Eight Trigrams: One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms)
Sasuke turned to see Hinata merely an inch away from him, and tried to react, but it was futile.
"2 Palms!"
"4 Palms!"
"8 Palms!"
"16 Palms!"
"32 Palms!"
"64 Palms!"
"128 Palms!"
Hinata finished her attack, and Sasuke was launched several feet backwards. He tried to get up, but to no avail. Looking at his attacker, he glared. "W-Why, Hinata?" Hinata glared back, but hers was much stronger with her Byakugan activated. "Because Konoha has no more meaning to me. I lost that three years ago." She replied as Sasuke slipped into unconsciousness. Hinata sighed, and took out a kunai as she took off her Hitai-ate from her neck. She then used the Kunai to make a slash through the Konoha insignia, and pocketed it.
"So she's with us now, Huh?" Obito asked in his deep voice, all childishness gone. Naruto nodded, and started to walk away.
"Let's go, we should report to Pein-sama." He said, as the other two followed.
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Well? What'd you think? Yes, Naruto will be paired with Hinata in this fic, and she will be joining the Akatsuki. What will happen to Gaara, now that he knows that Naruto isn't dead? Find out in the next chapter!
-DinglberrySauce